A House committee starts work Thursday on a bill that would give food producers the option of labeling food that doesn't include genetically modified ingredients. That's a compromise attempt after lawmakers last year rejected a bill to require labels on foods that do.

States from Rhode Island to Hawaii are considering laws to require labels on food items made or derived from genetically modified crops, known as GMOs. Currently, only Connecticut and Maine have laws requiring labels for genetically modified food.

Seventy percent of processed foods contain at least one GMO ingredient, according to the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest.